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True to their name, knifefish have a long, tapered body akin to a household knife. As juveniles, these fish swim in groups of five or more of the same species. As they mature, the school tends to loosen and can become aggressive toward other tankmates. Knifefish can share their aquarium with other large species of fish that will not nip at their fins. Be aware that they may try to eat any fish that's small enough to fit in their mouth.

You will find that your knifefish is most active at night. Because knifefish are nocturnal, they should be fed duringnighttime hours with the lights turned off. Feed as much food as they will consume within five minutes. You will see your knifefish swimming in the middle or at the bottom of your aquarium. To create a beautiful environment, be sure to add some top swimmers as well. Ask a PetSmart associate to help you choose.

AquariumKnifefish need a very long or large aquarium that is 40 gallons or more.

DécorProvide plenty of hiding places in the form of rockwork and roots or a hiding tube, as well as plants on the sides and back of the aquarium, leaving room in the center for swimming.

Staple dietKnifefish prefer all types of live foods, including tubifex worms, earthworms, bloodworms, insects, insect larvae, small fish and brine shrimp. Feed according to the directions on the packaging. They can be trained to acceptfrozen and freeze-dried food.

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African Knifefish
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A fascinating fish, but needs lots of room!
My knife fish was one of the coolest fish I ever had. A word of warning, though! I got my fish when he was about 6" long. They can get much larger than 10-12"! In the wild they grow to several feet. I had him in a 125 gallon tank. He was peaceful and reclusive during they day, but at night, look out! They are nocturnal, and hunt at night. They actually have large mouths, and can loosen that big jaw to get their mouths around large fish. After he grew to about 16" and ate several large gourami's, my local fish shop offered to take him back and relocate him to a much larger tank than I had. Catching him and taking him back to the store was a wild adventure, as he was really big, and not happy to go. It took two people with a small landing net to finally get him out of the tank. Whew, we are still talking about that one!! He was a beautiful, unique fish though, and I wish I had room (i.e., bigger tank) for another one!
July 15, 2013

Warning
These are incredible creatures and are a great addition to most tanks.Just a bit of caution observe them specimen you have picked out very closely because i made the mistake of buying one that had a very bad case of ich. So if you see a healthy fish a your LFS than i highly suggest you buy one of the amazing creatures.
December 31, 2012

Best Fish EVER!!
I bought this fish about 7 months ago to put in my 55 gallon semi agressive tank. It is the friendliest, coolest, most active fish I have ever owned!! He will come to the surface during feeding and eat shrimp out of my hand! He refuses to eat flake food but he loves shrimp and bloodworms. He has never bothered another fish in my tank. GO BUY THIS FISH!!
November 25, 2012